1988 Chevy Scottsdale - not sure where to start

[Jak220]

Hey guys,
Gonna start by saying this is gonna be a lot and apologies for that but I more or less just don't know where to begin and anything that would give me a good place to start.

For background - It's a short bed 4wd Scottsdale 1500, belonged to my granddad. He died of a stroke when I was young and I want to get this thing in tip-top shape as kinda a way to honor him. It drives, transmission shifts great. There's no AC, it needs a new radio and one of the window regulators is broken. All of those things i feel fully confident in fixing myself, however the shape of the engine bay is a different story.

There's been a lot of work done to it, obviously i can't ask my grandfather. There are a lot of hoses and wires that just aren't connected to anything and the carb cover is gone. As far as problems while driving, there really arent any save for loud squeeking whenever i make sharper turns which i assume is a power steering issue. Like i said, just any tips or anywhere i could start would be amazing.

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[Jak220]

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[Schurkey]

WHAT year is that? Looks like a Squarebody, not a GMT400.

There were no carbed engines in '88. Either it's not an '88 (Likely) or someone's tampered with it.

The distributor is installed a tooth or three off; the distributor housing is turned way too far clockwise. The timing may or may not be correct; but the distributor position is nowhere close to original.

After you straighten out the distributor, route the plug wires so they aren't dangling on the headers. Make CERTAIN that #5 and #7 plug wires stay separated.

A trip to a Treasure Yard will almost certainly produce an air cleaner suitable for a Q-Jet carb, with ducting to the radiator support for nice, cool air.

If those are copper tubes at the trans cooler section of the radiator, you'll want to replace them with double-wall seamless steel tubing all the way back to the transmission. Copper can work-harden, crack, and leak. ATF is surprisingly flammable.

Verify pulley alignment for the PS, and then check pulley and belt condition, and belt tension.

As with any vehicle, verify the safety-critical items: Brakes, steering, suspension.

Anything on the vehicle made of rubber is suspect--tires, belts, hoses, suspension bushings, etc.

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

Seconded. Definite Squarebody by the look of the exposed A/C core. That makes it a K10...
Its been hacked, and you're gonna need an old school mechanic to clean up the wiring.
I've been wrenching over 20 years, and my degree is in Fuel Injection diagnosis. Carb swaps can be done, but this was custom. Best of luck

 

[kennythewelder]

Your truck is not a GMT 400. It is a square body. Double check the year of the truck. It may be a 87, not a 88.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

^^^X3 Your avatar looks like a Square Body but, IIRC 87s came with TBI not large cap HEI and carb. Do you still have an O2 sensor and ECM?

Anyway, welcome and good luck

 

[Jak220]

WHAT year is that? Looks like a Squarebody, not a GMT400.

There were no carbed engines in '88. Either it's not an '88 (Likely) or someone's tampered with it.

The distributor is installed a tooth or three off; the distributor housing is turned way too far clockwise. The timing may or may not be correct; but the distributor position is nowhere close to original.

After you straighten out the distributor, route the plug wires so they aren't dangling on the headers. Make CERTAIN that #5 and #7 plug wires stay separated.

A trip to a Treasure Yard will almost certainly produce an air cleaner suitable for a Q-Jet carb, with ducting to the radiator support for nice, cool air.

If those are copper tubes at the trans cooler section of the radiator, you'll want to replace them with double-wall seamless steel tubing all the way back to the transmission. Copper can work-harden, crack, and leak. ATF is surprisingly flammable.

Verify pulley alignment for the PS, and then check pulley and belt condition, and belt tension.

As with any vehicle, verify the safety-critical items: Brakes, steering, suspension.

Anything on the vehicle made of rubber is suspect--tires, belts, hoses, suspension bushings, etc.

Thank you so much! Working on the distributor gives me a solid place to start at least. Potentially stupid question tho: do u have any idea what the deal is with that unattached tube on the engine (to the left of the distributor in the first pic) i assume it has something to do with something missing from the carb but its definately the most visually striking lol. And going back to the year, i just took my aunt's word for it but i should have ran the VIN. I'll do that today and see what i come up with

 

[kennythewelder]

("do u have any idea what the deal is with that unattached tube on the engine (to the left of the distributor in the) first pic")

That's the PCV vent tube. It would go on the air breather. Looks like the PCV valve is blocked off. You need that for ventilation of the crank case. You need to get some info on the carb and where the vacuum lines go. The card manufacturer will have this info. As for the rubber hose you are holding in the pic, that is on the driver's side next to the finder and grill. Yes that comes off of that round canister, that is the charcoal canister, and vents the gas tank of gas fumes. A vacuum diagram of your truck will help you trace down some of these issues. It looks to me like your grandpa did a carb and HEI distributor swap, and just kind of left things hanging, because he wasn't real sure what to do with them. Also that hose on the top of the card, air breather hold down nut, is not rite ether. That is the one running back to the electrical connector on the fire wall. That can be eliminated I think. I don't remember what it's for, but it should be hooked up to a vacuum source, not the top of the air breather hold down but. All of the wires that are not hooked up to anything, are leftovers from the old throttle body and distributor systems.

 

[kennythewelder]

Oh, except for the aluminum lines. They are part of a disconnect AC system. EG, the fitting in front of the radiator, the one on the round tank at the passengers side of the fire wall.

 

[kennythewelder]

And one more thing, you need to your plug wires away from the headers. Headers will burn through plug wires on not time at all. They make all kind of clips for this. Here is a few pics of mine.